At the Marsinah Museum, Prabowo: Authorities Must Reform
President Prabowo Subianto called on authorities to reform. He conveyed this message during the inauguration of the Marsinah Museum and a shelter in Nganjuk, East Java, on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Prabowo stated that all state officials and institutions must be willing to improve. “The prosecutor’s office, the police, and the military must correct themselves, eliminate irregularities and corruption from within,” said the General Chairman of the Gerindra Party at the museum location, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat.
He said that authorities must not support illegal activities. “Authorities should not be behind irregularities, supporting smuggling, drug trafficking, gambling, or other illegal activities,” he added.
Prabowo said that all officials, from the highest to the lowest rank, must be ready to sacrifice themselves for the people. He said they must not oppress the community. “Be soldiers of the people, be police officers of the people who are loved by the people,” said the retired general of the Indonesian National Army.
In addition, Prabowo said he felt honored to be able to designate Marsinah as a national hero and inaugurate the Marsinah Museum in Nganjuk. The former defense minister said that the Marsinah tragedy was a past that must be addressed together. He considered Marsinah a symbol of the struggle of marginalized communities who do not have power.
“This struggle is a symbol of the struggle of all those who are on the side of the weak, the poor, those who have no power, those who have no strength,” said Prabowo.
Marsinah was a labor activist who was killed for fighting for workers’ rights at her workplace at PT CPS Sidoarjo, East Java.
Born on April 10, 1969, in Nganjuk, East Java, she worked as a factory worker at PT Catur Surya Putra (CPS), a watch factory in Sidoarjo. Marsinah actively led actions to demand wage increases and improved working conditions.
On May 9, 1993, Marsinah was found dead in a forest in Dusun Jegong, Wilangan District, Nganjuk, East Java. The murder of Marsinah was a serious human rights violation that has not been resolved to this day.
Marsinah is suspected of being killed after being tortured and kidnapped for leading demonstrations to demand wage increases for workers at the factory where she worked.
On May 3, 1993, Marsinah led a demonstration at the factory where she worked. As a result of the demonstration, the management of PT CPS summoned 13 workers who were considered to be the leaders of the strike with the help of military personnel.
On May 5, 1993, the 13 workers were interrogated, threatened, and forced to sign letters of resignation. Seeing that her colleagues were being intimidated, Marsinah went to the Sidoarjo District Military Command to seek information and protest. That night, Marsinah disappeared.
Marsinah is suspected of being tortured and brutally killed. Her body was found on May 8, 1993, in a hut in the middle of the forest in Dusun Jegong, Wilangan Village, with signs of severe torture.
In 2025, 32 years after her death, President Prabowo designated Marsinah as a national hero. However, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said that the designation of Marsinah as a national hero was not related to the reinvestigation of the case of the murder of the labor activist.
Prasetyo said that Marsinah was awarded the title of national hero because of her services. “I don’t think it’s related. Today, we are looking at the services of the figures, especially the predecessors,” he said at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, Monday, November 10, 2025.
Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.